2 week challenge

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  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Hmm, Beeps, does tummy ache have to do with popcorn for dinner? J/k.

    I have been not drinking and staying under, and mostly sticking to planned meals which really helps. But I think I am getting sick. Sore throat, a bit achey, but I thought maybe it is allergies and last night's workout. Not sure. I don't feel terrible. If I take it easy tonight I might be able to avoid it...
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
    Amy- I hope you feel better!

    Beeps you can hold me accountable! Platinum star every week until vacation. And Max of either 5 drinks per week or 3 days of drinking (whatever I hit first). I want to at least have 4 alcohol free days a week.

    So far so good this week. Under cals Monday and Tuesday. And I have the rest of today planned out, and I should be under. No drinks yet so far this week either. Monday no workout because we were driving home. Tuesday I did Chalean. And I already ran outside this morning. I plan on running again tomorrow morning, Chalean on Friday, run on Saturday morning, and Chalean on Sunday.

    Anybody have any good 10-15 minute ab routine requiring no equipment? I am looking for something to do after my morning runs but I am usually pretty short on time.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    I just got the Abs Blueprint and he recommends this:
    Ab work: 2x per week, Lying leg raises for 5 sets of 20 reps, Hip Bridges : These are to be done right after your final set of lying leg raises. Hold a hip bridge for a few minutes and simply push your hips higher and higher as your muscles relax, Planks : Simply one plank hold to the front for 2 minutes and 1 minute on the left and right sides.

    You could Add in a 3rd workout per week where you do hanging leg raises & renegade rows but that requires some equipment and a place to hang:wink:
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,190 Member
    Amy, I think the popcorn totally was why my tummy felt OFF this morning! I went and lifted. In fact, I lifted for 90 minutes (only recorded it as 60)....just to MAKE SURE this FINAL work-out before I leave the country was WORTHWHILE.

    shanaber - I read somewhere else about Ray LaM....is he going to Spokane or something?? Maybe my B-I-L posted that he has tix to him somewhere. I don't even know who Ray LaM is?!??!!?

    asjerven - I hope you are NOT getting sick! Noooooooooooooooo spring colds....none.

    Chloe - you ARE accountable! Your plan is solid!
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
    Hey ladies. My week has been so-so. I've gotten 3 workouts in (yesterday was 3.1 miles stroller running and 2.5 mmiles stroller walk on my gorgeous day off, lifted at work Tuesday and ran Monday morning). But I've been snacking a lot after dinner, which is not like me. I need to pick: afternoon snack or after dinner treats. I typically have one popsicle after dinner or a couple drak Hershey kisses, but it hasn't been stopping there. I got on the scale this morning and I'm taking a do-over tomorrow. :grumble: So it is what it is. I've sort of got a lot going on and I think I will feel better about some things next week so maybe I'll get back on the right foot! :smile:
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,190 Member
    20140508small_zps2c8ba3ac.jpg

    Board (bored?) meetings today....Michelle Obama has NOTHING on these guns, baby!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Love the dress, Beeps!

    I think it was allergies, my throat felt better after tea and is ok today.

    Today is a rest day! yah!

    I have been hungry after dinner but have been doing a good job of not eating to save up a few cals for beer and pizza tonight:bigsmile:
  • ramalem
    ramalem Posts: 1,066 Member
    Hi ladies. I've had a pretty good week so far as far as goals are concerned. I've gotten 3 workouts in, prenatal DVD (which was MUCH harder than I anticipated), and hour long walk/yoga and a lifting/mini cardio session. Running is becoming increasingly harder for me to do for long duration's, but I'm trying to keep up with it as long as I can. I've been staying around or under calories as well, which I'm pretty happy with.

    Cute dress Beeps!
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
    HOT HOT HOT Beeps!

    Ram I meant to tell you I had Tracy Anderson's Pregnancy DVDs and they were great. Its a different DVD for each month, I did that in combination with walking daily. It really felt like it kept everything toned with some good stretching too that really helped in the last few months.

    I am still going strong. I have been under cals everyday. No drinks yet. 1 Chalean workout down and 2 runs down! And the scale is back to 148 which was where I was at before vacay. So goal is 145 by the next vacay in 30 days totally doable.
  • ramalem
    ramalem Posts: 1,066 Member
    I was actually curious about Tracy's DVD's. I've heard mixed reviews on them... some people said it was tough to follow and they weren't familiar with many of the routines. I just kinda figured those people maybe hadn't worked out a lot previously. I went with the Summer Sanders DVD and I like it, but I know I'll get bored of it quickly.
  • stephv38
    stephv38 Posts: 203 Member
    Hey all, Happy Friday!
    Ramalem- just figured out by your post that you are expecting, huge congratulations and what amazing work to be continuing your great workouts!
    Amy- I got that ab workout PDFyou posted and read about half of it, looks great! I am adding leg lifts!
    I like Fitness Blender youtubes because they are free and no music so I can add my own. There are tons! I am so-so on JM but her 6 pack abs (or something like that) was a pleasant surprise, also free on youtube. I have no attention span for workouts so barely do the same thing twice.
    Chloe- sounds like you are doing AWESOME!!
    And Beeps, what a great dress!
    I am killing it for accurate logging, water and calorie intake and am getting workouts in... however, they are not precisely the workout of plan. For instance I need to run about 11 miles between today and sunday to meet goal. Hmmm.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    I ended up having 5 beers, instead of the three I budgetted, and I was really craving chocolate yesterday afternoon so I gave in to that, but I still think if I can rein it and have a run and low-cal day Sunday I can get a star.

    I don't have any big plans for the weekend. I am doing a "Women Build" thing tomorrow for habitat for Humanity, and they provide lunch-I am guessing it will be like subway or something. And maybe I can count some calorie burns if it seems like a workout! Also it's early in the morning so I won't be going out tonight, then Mike has a show Saturday night and I am not planning on going so maybe it's possible not to go overboard this weekend.

    Steph, that is cool you liked the ab thing, I am adding the suggested plan for 3x a week leg raises, bridges, and planks.

    Hey, maybe we could respond to this question to help me out of rut-what's a great weeknight dinner that's tasty and not too high in calories? I try to stick to 500 per serving. I am just feeling bored and need ideas:) I can tell you what I had Wed night was pretty good-honey cashew chicken, from cooking light. It was quite good. Night before that I made the Zatarains red beans and rice and added shrimp and andouille sausage. I serve that with a tortilla:)

    Have a great weekend, all! But give me dinner ideas before Sunday, that's when I am shopping and planning for the week:bigsmile:
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
    Sunday I made Skinnytaste Tilapia Tacos...YUMMY!

    I did the ab workout yesterday morning...well the leg raises and the bridge. I hate planks, but I will try to do them tomorrow. But, I am sore from the leg raises. I did 5 sets of 20.

    I am still going strong this week with all my goals. I have a pork tenderloin marinating that I am going to grill for dinner tonight and I am actually am not even craving a drink yet. So maybe I will have one more zero. Tomorrow I am going to lunch with a friend and the place we are going has a great steak salad, so that should be healthy. Sunday we are having both sides over for mothers day, so I am going to do burgers and some healthy sides. So I should be able to keep the weekend under control and end up with a Platinum Star :happy:
  • jamerz1482
    jamerz1482 Posts: 11 Member
    Hi asjerven~
    New to group and was hoping to get the skinny on this 2 week challenge. What do you normally discuss and what kind of challenges are there?
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    welcome, jamerz, it's pretty flexible, the 2-week challenge! It's just based on the idea that it takes 2 weeks to form a habit, so you pick your challenge (choose your own adventure, haha) and so you just tell us what you are going to do for two weeks (can be how many workout, miles run, or nutrition goals) and then let us know how it goes:bigsmile:

    The star challenge has been running concurrently with that, basically, you pick your weekly calorie goal-monday-sunday. then let us know how it goes, the stars are awarded as follows:
    Within 100 calories of your weekly allotted calories = platinum
    Within 500 calories of your weekly allotted calories = gold
    Within 1000 calories of your weekly allotted calories = silver
    Within 1500 calories of your weekly allotted calories = bronze
    It only works if you are logging, obviously, but it has been really helpful for me to even things out over the week, so it's not like, oh I messed up so I'll just go over every day now...
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    Hey Everyone!! Happy Friday!
    I am having a pretty good week so far but am still over due to my dinner out on Tuesday. Hoping to get it back to within my goal though by the end of the weekend. I guess it depends on what my hubby has planned for Sunday. I was really down and didn't feel like running at all yesterday (more mental than physical I think) but I made myself go thinking I would feel better. I really didn't though - I think that is the first time! What did make me feel better though was going to the gym and lifting, not sure if it was the lifting, my trainer or both but in any event it worked!

    Beeps - You look awesome in that dress and I can definitely relate to 'bored' meetings! I think you are heading off on your trip soon - hope you have a wonderful time!! I am still so jealous!

    Amy - I am not sure I can help with recipes. It seems like all we eat for dinner is chicken and usually grilled with different dry rubs. I get tired of trying to think of things and fall back on what is quick and easiest. Chloe's talapia tacos sound great - I may look into grilling some fish one night and making tacos too - will have to see though if my husband will eat them as he is a bit picky.

    Steph - I think you can get close to your 11 miles by Sunday if you did 3.5 miles each day. Did you run today? Come On - I know you can do it! :happy:

    Ram - as long as you keep moving as much as you can I think that makes it easier. Maybe mixing running with a little walking. Just watch that you don't get too tired.

    Ashley - I hope your week is going better now that it is going into the weekend!

    Welcome Jamerz!

    I love doing planks and did a 30-day plank challenge that I incorporated with my post-run stretching and abs workout. I kept doing them but now when I don't run I forget to stretch or do my ab workout :huh: I think I may need to add that to my goals starting next week. Amy I am also going to check out the ab workout - maybe it will give me some fresh ideas.

    Steph - I took a look at the pull up info you posted and I am definitely going to give it a try especially the jump pull up - I just need to find somewhere to try it out. The bar at the gym is way too high for me to do it there even from a stool. My arms and back are pretty strong so there shouldn't be any reason that I couldn't do it!

    Have a wonderful weekend!!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,190 Member
    5 hours until take-off!!

    BOOM!

    See ya gals on the flip-side....GO LIFT HEAVY THINGs!
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
    Beeps- HAVE FUN!!!!

    I have been doing blogilates for the past 2 weeks and I am loving it. No matter what workout choose, I feel it in my core. I did a leg workout yesterday but I feel it in my core/booty.

    Steph- I get bored easily too. I use to do fitness blender all of the time, then one of the workouts started to bother my shoulder so i stopped. I LOVE the brazilian butt lift. I might have to try that one again.

    Shan- i like planks, too! and burpees.

    I go to Florida in 6 weeks!!!!!. I really want to step it up. I was think 1200 5 days a week and 1400 2 days. I hope I can do it. This week was not the best. It was teacher appreciation week so there has been A LOT of BAD food. I resisted a lot, and tried to have moderation with a lot but there were still a lot of bad choices. I did not log this week.
  • stephv38
    stephv38 Posts: 203 Member
    Hey ladies!
    I hope you all have a wonderful day for Mothers Day. The fun thing about staying on track during holidays is that it confirms to me that this is my *choice*. I am not punishing myself or imprisoned by my calorie choices- I am strong, empowered and even on holidays I want to stay on track to continue to be the best version of my self. Or at least that is what I like to repeat to myself! :)

    So Amy, for dinner ideas I often do simple things v. recipes. I also really like to make subs to keep calories and nutrition better. For instance, I might have a baked sweet potato with canadian bacon, green onions and fage yogurt instead of sour cream. Or for a sweet taste, the yogurt with honey and cinnamon. Turkey sloppy joes on a bed of slightly steamed spinach instead of a bun. Spaghetti on spaghetti squash. These little subs save tons of cals. I made a brocolli bacon salad with greek jogurt instead of mayo that was great. Go for that star!!

    Chloe- Loving that you are so on track. It's super motivating for me too! Platinum star all the way.

    Jamerz- welcome, I just started this group myself but I am liking the extra encouragement and motivation. I hope it works for you too!

    Shanaber- Im sorry you were having a tough day. Glad the lift session worked! Go for those pull ups! :) I did get 4 miles in yesterday so will add some more the rest of the weekend and see where I end up!

    Kelly- I forgot about blogilates, you are right, they make me sore every time! I cant do BBL though, I look so silly I just laugh at myself. No coordination there! :) Yay for goals!
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    Hi All! I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day with your families!

    I ended up being over by 55 for the week - not bad considering a couple of my days were way out there. I got in a good run on Saturday and we went to the beach today so I ran the puppy up and down until he was tired :happy: and I was exhausted. Gold star for me this week and I ended up losing a pound... could be water or not but I will take it!

    My goals are:
    Stay within my 1500/day calories,
    Eat more protein
    Do my stretching and ab workout every day, even when I don't run
    Running 3 days during the week and a longer run on Saturday if it isn't too hot - supposed to break records this week.
    Strength train on 3 days

    Have a great week!!
  • stephv38
    stephv38 Posts: 203 Member
    Great week Shanaber!

    I was 142 cals under for the week so I am happy about that... however I was way over yesterday. I didnt really plan for it and definitely had too many treats so I am feeling like yesterday was not the best. Even being a holiday for ME! :) I had planned to stay on track.... :)
    I got to 11 miles but left it all for three days and was not loving those last few! Got to spread it out!
    My strength training needs tweaking. I am too distracted by "new" and not making the gains I should by the length of time I have been working at it. Made a new plan...

    My goals for the next week continue with:
    11,200 cals for the week. And super accurate logging work.
    Strength 3 X
    HIIT 1X
    Run 12 miles
    water

    And adding a renewed focus on protein....

    Hope everyone had a great day yesterday in whatever way they chose to celebrate! Cant wait to see everyones progress!
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
    Good morning! Somehow, I was 107 under. My macros were closer, but still not there. Only 26% protein. Thank you 5 billion cookies. I was also no where near my 6 hours of workouts. This week, I will focus on getting my workouts and protein. I did get up at 5:30 yesterday to workout before soccer tournaments. I was also WAY over yesterday. Oops.

    steph- that is great that you were still under even if you indulged yesterday! Great goals.

    Shanaber - sounds like you had a great week too! How fun running with your puppy on the beach. Love it.

    Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend!
  • shander7
    shander7 Posts: 613 Member
    Good Morning!! I wish I started doing the star challenge, life has been too hectic to log though!! You girls look like you're doing great though :)

    Kelly - Great job being under last week!! Great goals to be aiming for this week too :) I like blogilates too, I just never usually have the motivation to do them when I get home!! I wish I could make myself follow her calendar, she looks great!

    Steph - Great job this week! Goals look awesome too! You sound like you have a great mind set going on right now, good for you!!

    Shan - Nice week and goals for this week!! What kind of puppy do you have??

    Amy - I am a huge fan of spaghetti squash dinners! Tonight I'm making a spaghetti squash "mac" & cheese! It's delicious! I also make spaghetti squash pad thai which is my fiance's favorite dish (I add chicken for him!) I also made a cauliflower general tso recipe that was delicious and not too bad. Look though my "Good for me Food" pinterest board for some others! I have some healthy ones in my "Recipes Made" board too. I'll look through to see what some of the other calorie counts are for my usual meals :)

    That's all I can see/remember! I'm up a bit this week, but I also ate horribly this weekend. I'm sure some is just water weight that will come off pretty easily! This week my goals are:
    Workout 3-4 days
    Drink more water (I've been slacking)
    Try to stretch more

    Have a great Monday!
  • RisOnTheRun
    RisOnTheRun Posts: 624 Member
    HI ladies! I am so far behind. I tried to catch up on everything but I'm going to have to wait until lunch to get through the last page.

    This weekend was pretty much a fail. No star for me. No logging, way too much booze on Saturday, and I only got in one workout (though it was a good one--I did weights and I definitely felt it the next day). I was at a wedding (which I was in) and there was just too much going on. On the upside, I feel like after all of the indulgences I can commit to being good this week and getting that platinum star.
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
    Ris I am right there with you on the too much booze Saturday!

    I decided I am done breastfeeding. My supply has just dropped so much its getting frustrating for both me and my little guy. My original goal was 6 months and I have almost made it to 7 so I am happy about that.

    As for goals I ended up being 855 over so Silver for me. This is all due to the booze consumed on Saturday. I did eat really well all weekend for the most part. But, I think being able to have drinks whenever I want and not worrying about when I have to feed the little guy made me just sip all day Saturday. My goals for macros were 30C/40F/30P and I ended up with 34/39/27 so I have a little work to do there. I also bumped my cals down to 1500 a day for this week so 10,500 for the week Ashley if you could update the spreadsheet for me.

    I did get in all my workouts for the week though and I already ran this morning and did abs so I am starting this week off right!

    Keeping the same goals pretty much except for the drop in cals:

    1) 10,500 cals for the week
    2) 30C/40F/30P
    3) 3 runs, 3 Chalean workouts, 3 ab workouts
    4) 4 booze free days
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
    Hey ladies. I fell off the logging wagon this weekend. Just too much going on. I feel like things will be a little more stabilized in the coming weeks. So I get no star. I did a little walking Friday but that was it. I got up and ran a couple miles this morning.

    I've got Chloe and Kelly's star report. Please report in and I will post tomorrow.

    Have a great week!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Hey, Platinum star for me! I can hardly believe it but I did some running and logged as best I could for some things when you just don't know-like craft beer!
    I did the Habitat for Humanity Women Build Event and was pretty sore and tired from swinging a hammer all day (really more like 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon.) And I only logged it as 2 hours of light housekeeping so I think that's not cheating:tongue:

    I decided to do the Bolder Boulder. I think it will be fun but it's only 2 weeks away and I haven't done 10k before. So I might end up walking but oh well. I am going to change my workouts to running every other day and cross-training for the next two weeks.

    Any tips from the runners on how you moved up from 5k to 10k?
  • abigail1977
    abigail1977 Posts: 544 Member
    Wow, this thread moves so fast there is no way to keep up just checking in once a week, I need to be more vigilant.

    Amy, from what I understand it is not that big a leap from a 5K to a 10. After 4 miles your body adjusts and it's not hard to keep on going. I do not have any personal experience with that, but everyone I know who runs long distance says that.

    I just signed up for a 5K in June to motivate me back into a regular running schedule as I will need it for my Mudderella. I also need to incorporate more strength training, so I have a gym bag packed & I am going to lift after work today at my husband's workplace gym before picking up my girls.

    Better - I think I may need to get back to logging myself, it is hard to do, but keeps me on track

    Chloe - I went through the same thing breastfeeding with my youngest daughter about the 6 month mark & gradually swapped over to the bottle without a problem. Good job getting in your workouts.

    Ris - good luck with the commitment to a platinum start this week, you can do it.

    Shander - good luck with your goals, getting lots of water is hugely important

    Ramalem - can't remember if I wished you congratulations yet, so congrats!

    That's all I can see for now. Have a great week everyone!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    oh, and thanks for the dinner ideas everyone! I crockpotted some pork yesterday-it was called Caribbean pork and it was pretty good, from cooking light, just under 500 cals per serving. The sauce was hoisin, soy, peanut butter, cumin, garlic and there is peppers and green onion in there too. I got those cute sweet colored peppers and chopped up 5 of them, after 3 hours in the crock, there wasn't much left of them, I should have done more!

    I got the fixins for an asian stir fry with shrimp and noodles with peanut sauce.
  • jamerz1482
    jamerz1482 Posts: 11 Member
    hello ladies~
    I am still learning all the ins and outs of this website so I am not really sure which star that I am to be awarded, but I did very well this week. I started a protein shake meal replacement diet on Monday and kept my calories and nutrition in check all week! Kinda bummed that I didn't lose more weight, but hopefully time will be of the essence. Worked out 3x this week burning at least 300 cals each time, gonna really get some calories burned this week though! I love reading all your posts they are very motivating. Plus, it helps me not feel so bad when I do have bad day or feel bad about drinking those couple of beers from time to time.
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